Every year that goes by, electric and hybrid vehicles get more and more competitive. In 2019, the playing field is even more contested--the Chevrolet Bolt is the oldest vehicle here; and it’s only been out since 2017. Late last year, Nissan introduced the second-generation Leaf, and Tesla began making deliveries of its Model 3. These three environmentally-friendly cars are increasingly interesting, as the electric technology moves down market into the less expensive price ranges. Before we start the comparison, however, let me explain how I evaluate the cars. I use a numerical points value system to evaluate each vehicle in every category on a scale from one to ten. Furthermore, all of the prices in the video are before the federal $7,500 tax credit. Let’s begin the comparison with an assessment of value. The 2019 Chevy Bolt Premier starts at $41,780. The Bolt LT is cheaper, if that’s all you look for in a green vehicle, but for the sake of the comparison, I am trying to bring all of the prices within a couple thousand of each other. SiriusXM, push-button start, and upgraded 17-inch aluminum wheels come standard on the Bolt Premier, as do roof-rails, heated and power outside mirrors, and a leather-wrapped, heated steering wheel. The instrument cluster is an 8-inch screen, and a 10.2-inch screen sits in the middle of the dash and serves as the infotainment system. The screen controls Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth, and voice-activated technology. All seats in the Bolt Premier are heated, including the rear. It also has lane change alert and a blind zone alert system. The Bolt has other nice features like location-based charge control, which tells the Bolt when it is at home, and what hours to charge during. A 4G LTE WiFi connection, GM’s OnStar system, a rear camera mirror, rear cross traffic alert and rear park assist also come standard. Creatures comforts like remote keyless entry, remote start, and surround vision are also standard. Surround vision is an advanced backup camera that gives the driver a bird’s-eye view of the vehicle to aid maneuvering in tight spaces. The battery is covered under an 8-year, 100,000 mile warranty, but the car has a three-year 36,000 mile bumper to bumper one. The Nissan Leaf SL starts at $36,200, but again, the base model Leaf starts at just under $30,000. The SL comes with LED headlights, foglights, and heated outside mirrors. The instrument cluster is one inch smaller than the Bolt’s at 7.0 inches, and even the SL only has a 7-inch touchscreen in the dash, compared to the Bolt’s 10.2 inch screen. However, the Leaf also comes with navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and SiriusXM. The Leaf also has Nissan Connect EV services, also powered by SiriusXM. The Leaf too gains the bird’s-eye view camera. The car has intelligent cruise control, and a driver alertness system that monitors the driver’s steering inputs to determine whether the driver is becoming drowsy. It has a hybrid heater system, an intelligent key with push button start and an auto-dimming rearview mirror with HomeLink, a universal garage door receiver. The driver seat is 8-way power adjustable, all seats are leather, and the steering wheel is heated and leather-wrapped. The front two seats are also heated. The Nissan has a Bose audio system with seven speakers, one more than the Bolt has, and it’s a better system anyway. The active safety systems on the Leaf include rear-cross traffic alert, automatic emergency braking, and blind spot warning. The Tesla Model 3 Standard starts at $36,000. This base model car was never actually produced in 2018, as Tesla was only taking orders for the long-range, more expensive, all-wheel-drive Model 3. However, the base 3 will go on sale soon, in early 2019. Standard exterior features are limited to 18-inch wheels, and LED tail-lamps and running lights. The inside is better, with seven speakers, and a massive 15-inch touchscreen display that Tesla cars are known for. Additionally, navigation, an LTE WiFi connection, voice-activated controls, and Bluetooth are included. The front seats are heated and manually 6-way adjustable, but the Model 3 only comes with cloth seats. It does have a dual-zone climate control system, and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror. The active safety systems in the Tesla include a blind-spot sensor, and forward collision and lane departure warning. Compared to the other two, the Model 3 is pretty barren, even for the price point, compared to the other vehicles. However, you’re paying for different things in the Tesla, like the powertrain and supercharger network that the company has set up. However, the powertrain will be evaluated now, and will not count into the value segment, otherwise it would be double counted. Speaking of which, let’s look at the batteries, motors, and kWH of each car. All 2019 Bolts come with a 60 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery that supplies power to the electric drive unit, allowing 200 horsepower and 266 lb-ft of torque to drive the front wheels. In addition, the Bolt comes with a 120-volt portable charge cord. This set-up is good for a relatively quick 6.3 second 0-60 time. The Nissan Leaf comes with a 40 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery that is connected to a 147 horsepower, 236 lb-ft motor. This set-up is good for a 7.5 second 0-60 run. The Tesla Model 3 splits the difference between the Bolt and Leaf with a 50 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery, that routes 258 horsepower through the rear wheels. The torque ratings are not published for the standard battery, but the long-range battery produces 307 lb-ft, so expect something slightly less than that. The Model 3 is the only vehicle here that is rear wheel drive, which probably aids its 0-60 time be the fastest of the group, at 5.6 seconds. After powertrain and performance, we’ll do safety. As mentioned, each vehicle has a variety of active safety features like forward collision warning, blind spot detection, etcetera. Unfortunately, the IIHS has not fully tested any car yet, except the Chevy Bolt. It received a Top Safety Pick, with a superior rating in front crash prevention, and ‘Good’ ratings in almost all other areas of evaluation, the highest mark possible. Unfortunately, I will not be taking passive safety ratings into consideration at this time, as I cannot fairly evaluate the Model 3 and Nissan Leaf. I believe the Tesla to be a strong contender in this segment, however Consumer Reports found that the Model 3’s braking abilities were atrocious, taking nearly as much time to come to a stop as a semi-truck. Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, said that the issue can be fixed quickly via the Model 3’s over-the-air software updates. The previous generation Nissan Leaf was a mixed bag in terms of safety—but that does not matter for the new car, which has been completely redesigned. Next, let’s focus on what makes these cars so unique, their all electric driving. Range anxiety has decreased over the years as electric vehicles become more par with the industry. The 2019 Bolt has a 238-mile range on a single charge. The little car also gets the gasoline equivalent to 128 miles per gallon in the city and 110 miles per gallon on the highway. Let’s move on to the Nissan. It has a much smaller range of 151 miles. The gasoline fuel economy equivalency is 125 mpg in the city and 100 on the highway. The standard Tesla can go 220 miles per charge and has yet to be rated for its gasoline mpg equivalent but expect its numbers to be right in line with the Bolt’s, as the Model 3 long-range version gets 131 mpg in the city and 120 on the highway. The standard 120-volt Basic charging system for the Bolt only gets you about four miles per hour charging. Obviously, this is not very good, so Chevy offers two upgraded systems, the Fast and Super Fast systems. The Fast, 220-volt system gives the Bolt 25 miles per hour of charge, and the Super Fast allows the Bolt 90 miles of range in 30 minutes. The Nissan starts at the 220-volt option, avoiding the 110-volt completely. In one hour, the Nissan can acquire 22 miles at 220 volts, and the same amount as the Chevy on the DC quick charging. The Tesla gets 5 miles per hour of charging on 110-volt, 22 miles on a 30 amp, 220-volt outlet, or a maximum 125 miles in 16-minutes on Tesla’s supercharger network, although Model 3 owners will have to pay for this service. Now let’s compare our most controversial area of evaluation, which is styling. Of course, to each his own, but in my eyes the Model 3 is the best looking vehicle of the group, in terms of exterior. The interior is clean and plain, but in pictures it comes off as odd. It’s much more appealing after you have sat in the vehicle. The Leaf has gone away with its oddball styling of yore, instead looking much more like a Versa than anything else, which is strangely a compliment in this context. The Bolt looks modern, but too much like a jelly bean. The Bolt’s older brother, Volt is executed better. In the interior battle, I think the Chevy probably wins, with the dashboard integrating the screen nicely and flowing around the driver. The cabin is extremely airy and the visibility out the front is great, something not represented well in the video. The Leaf isn’t far behind interior wise, but again, I feel like the center stack could be done better. The Leaf has a good-looking steering wheel, however. Finally, let’s look at our last part of this comparison test: innovation. This is the “cool-factor” of each car, and this category is unique to this comparison. Electric cars are still a new concept to the public, and it would be unfair to avoid acknowledging this. The Chevy Bolt isn’t necessarily cool, but it does have the biggest battery of the three and GM’s extensive electric vehicle experience in its past. It’s probably the lowest maintenance vehicle of the three. The Nissan Leaf has gone from decidedly uncool to at best “not ugly” but it to does not guarantee an owner bragging rights. A very middle of the road electric vehicle, when it seems like there are two other competitors that can offer more. The Tesla of course offers the most “innovative” factor. Wireless updates to the vehicle aren’t old yet, and other little gimmicks like the big screen, seductive styling, and brand name give it big gains in this segment. However, it still takes two to four months to get a Model 3, and the rear-wheel-drive version we are comparing here isn’t even on sale yet. Tesla has continued to struggle with meeting demand and making profits, and the company still is not on stable ground, financially. However, there is no denying that the Tesla offers more innovation than the other two vehicles for the same price. That’s all for the 2019 small electric car comparison! I hope you enjoyed reading.
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| 2018 Tesla Model 3, via allcarseveryday |
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